The Cure
by An Acolyte
Summary: AU. In the waning days of the first war, Dumbledore finds an unconventional cure to lycanthropy, and several lives change. A RemusTonks story with a twist.
1. Chapter 1

_Note: This is something I started writing nearly a year ago for the Remus-Tonks challenge, and never quite finished. I've left the prompts on top of the sections where it made sense, since some of them at least were influenced by the prompt. The plan is to actually finish this this time around._

**The Cure**

"He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath." King Lear (III, vi, 19-21)

Part I

"Don't say it, Sirius."

"I don't want to, either, James, but it must be him. You can see that, can't you?"

"Just stop, Sirius. I'd trust my life to him. You know I would. A day ago I would have said that you would, too."

"Of course you can trust your health to him, you old nag. And mine too, without question. But Harry's life, James? For Harry, we can't afford not to wonder."

But James just sputters indignantly.

"I am not a nag, you mangy mutt! Or do you need a reminder of what my prongs can do to you, Paddy?"

He picks up Harry's little stag and dog from the pile of toys on the floor in front of his son, and demonstrates exactly what he means, sending the dog flying across the room, where Sirius picks it up, and cradles it protectively.

Harry looks up at them, and smiles and laughs his peculiar gurgling laughter, to which his father and godfather are still endlessly susceptible. James had wondered, when he had first held his baby son just over a year ago, whether the novelty of having this marvelous little creature to play with and care for would ever wear off, and it hasn't yet; it only gets better. Harry is much loved, and he is easy to love, for he too loves easily. James kneels on the floor, handing the toys back to his son, and gives Sirius a real answer.

"Remus loves Harry. Harry loves Remus, and he knows that. He'd never do anything to hurt Harry."

Sirius picks up the little boy, and tickles his toes. He's rewarded with another giggle.

"Harry's just a little boy, James. You can't exactly trust his judgment on this."

James just shakes his head. Sirius is his brother, but Remus is as good a friend as any man could hope for. And Sirius knows this, but he is inexorable in his insistence.

"I know you love Remus, James. We all do. But do you think he has ever trusted to our love? He's never let anyone but us near him. He's shut the world out, convinced himself that any woman who's ever tried to get close to him is out on the make or bound to be disappointed. We had to grind him down, James. Don't you ever think that maybe he gave in just because it was easier than to keep resisting? Do you really think it's possible for him to overcome what he is?"

**Part II**

Prompt: pants**  
**

The only thing Remus likes less than hospitals are hospital gowns. As a boy, he spent what felt like a lifetime in hospital wards and clinics while doctors and nurses had talked over him in hushed whispers whose meaning was all too evident, recuperating from injuries caused by a beast within himself, or searching for a cure he had never let himself hope for. And grown to a man's estate he had made a craft of holding on to the shreds of his dignity as best he could, knowing that it would never suffice to earn him respect. Since he left Hogwarts, he's never subjected himself to the indignity of hospitals and the gowns that go along with them. He's handy enough with his wand, and he's gotten along quite well with a little help from his friends.

So it's very disorienting for him to wake up in St. Mungo's, and pull himself up in bed, only to realize from the unexpected breeze on his backside that he was wearing one of those dreaded hospital gowns, in Mungo's signature lime green. He blinks, experimentally, but opening his eyes again, he sees that he's still there in the hospital ward. He looks around then, seeing for the first time that James and Lily are there attending him, along with Dumbledore himself.

"What… what happened then? Did something go wrong? I don't really remember how I got here."

James winces. Dumbledore looks apologetic.

"I should never have sent you out there, Remus. It was much too dangerous. I'm just glad that we were able to find you and bring you back alive."

"I'll have to go back. I wasn't… I haven't been able to do anything yet. They just… they're not listening to me."

"No, Remus, you won't be returning. It was a mistake on my part to send you. I believe we've taken you a little too much for granted."

"Is this why you're all here then? To tell me that there's really nothing more I can do for the Order?"

James snorts. Lily exclaims. Remus ignores them both for the time being and turns to Dumbledore, who answers him.

"No, Remus. That's not why we're here. We have some news for you that we didn't think could wait."

But wait he does, for a moment that feels like an eternity, as the Headmaster gathers himself to speak.

"Remus, we've found a cure."

Remus stares at the old man, unbelieving. After so many years, and all of the false leads that his parents had chased down over the years, he had convinced himself long ago that he would never put his faith in those words. But he's hearing them now from a man whose words he could never dismiss.

"What is it?"

Dumbledore smiles, but it's not his usual easy, twinkling smile. Had it been anyone else, Remus would have grown nervous, but this was Dumbledore, after all. He could trust Dumbledore, if he could trust anyone.

"Remus, I want you to think about this very carefully. Don't reject this out of hand. You deserve this. Your parents looked their entire lives for a cure."

"What is it? Are there side-effects I need to worry about? How could it possibly not be worth it?"

"The Unspeakables at one of the Rooms at the Department of Mysteries recently made a breakthrough that they considered to be somewhat arcane. The application to cases like yours was not immediately apparent, but is actually quite straightforward. I'll admit there haven't been any tests conducted on individuals like you, but there is absolutely no doubt that it will work. I've examined the formulae myself."

"Is it that Wolfsbane formula?"

Remus feels a little sick, even thinking about it. It's all very well to say that the lethal effects could be neutralized and harnessed by skilled potioneers; it's still difficult to get away from the fact that in its raw form, the plant will kill him. Still, if it is part of the cure Dumbledore is talking about, he will take the risk of poisoning in a heartbeat.

"No, it's nothing like that. This is something we've used quite successfully for recent bites. It wasn't stable enough to use in cases like yours, but I do believe it'll work."

"What is it, Professor? Is there anything we can do to help?"

It's James who speaks up. He came here with Lily when Dumbledore notified them about Remus's condition, feeling all the more guilty about the suspicions that Sirius wanted him to entertain. Remus is loyal; James is sure of this, can hardly help being, when he sees the injuries Remus has garnered in the service of the Order. But he's been wondering why he and Lily were invited along to what should have been a private conversation between Dumbledore and Remus when the conversation drifts the way it does. He knows Dumbledore does everything for a reason, and if he's been asked here, it's because he needs to be. He's done a fair bit over the years to make Remus's life a little bit easier, sometimes in ways that even Dumbledore didn't know about, and now would be no exception, if only he knew what it was that Dumbledore wanted.

"Yes, James, there is a great deal you and Lily can do to help."

"Just what is this cure, Professor?" Remus interjects.

"Are you familiar with youth potions, Remus?"

Remus blinks at the non sequitor.

"Yes, of course. I mean, I couldn't brew one to save my life, but I understand the theory well enough."

Lily smirks, distracting Remus, who can't quite believe that the Headmaster said what Remus thought he did.

"Then you'll understand what we are proposing. As you know, the Curse is ingrained in your body as you know it now, and there is nothing we can do to remove it. But if we take you back to an age before you were bitten, before your body was infected with the Curse, you will be perfectly free of it."

"But that's impossible, sir! I was barely four years old. No one's ever used a youth potion like that. It can't possibly be stable."

"I assure you, Remus, the formula is impeccable. I admit that you would be the first trial case, but there is no reason to believe that it wouldn't work."

"So you would take me down to three years old, to cure me, and then age me back up again?" asks Remus, finally seeing a glimmer of hope that still seems tantalizingly out of his grasp.

But then Dumbledore shakes his head, and Remus knows why this is just another pipe dream.

"No Remus. It will be physically possible to age you back up again, of course, but we will be starting with you as a real three year old. You will lose a lifetime's experiences and learning if we do that."

"So then... this is…"

But he can't quite bring to say the word 'impossible;' he can't meet the Headmaster's eyes, and as he turns to James and Lily it suddenly becomes obvious why his best friends, the perfect parents, are sitting in this room while he has this conversation.

"You can't mean…"

But James interrupts.

"And why not, Remus? You know what this means. This is what your parents spent their whole lives searching for."

"But they're not here, James, and I can't just willfully become a burden like this. I'm enough of that already. And you know what else this means… a lifetime's experiences, gone. I'd never want to give up what we've had."

"But we'll still be here, Moony. Do you think we won't have another lifetime's worth of memories for you? You'll always be our friend, Remus – give us this chance to be something more. I couldn't live with myself knowing that you had this chance and turned it down."

"I'm not your responsibility, James. I can't ask you to do this."

But it's Lily who answers.

"Not our responsibility, Remus, but it would be our privilege. I can't imagine a better brother for Harry."

And suddenly Remus sees a picture of a perfect childhood, of a little garden, and a big black dog, and a small black-haired little boy, holding his hand and looking up at him. And it takes a minute for him to find speech, but Lily doesn't need an answer. She squeezes his hand, and says, "Just think about it, won't you?"

And then they leave the room, leaving Remus to grapple with the most important decision of his life. It's just not fair to spring these things on a man when he isn't even wearing a pair of pants.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part III**

The little boy looks around, a little confused. He's in a hospital room, he can tell, but he wonders why he's here, how long he'll remain. Something important has happened, he can tell. He can see it in the awed whispers of the nurses around him as they take his blood and run their wand over him, turning bits of him into all sorts of funny colors. And he can tell because there's no one here he knows, and there should be, shouldn't there? He had a mother and a father, he knows he did, but his memories are a little fuzzy around the edges, as if they're from a long time ago. And somehow he knows his father and mother won't be coming here to see him. Is that what's happened to him, why he's in the hospital without a mother to hold his hand, and a father to pat his back and tell him to be a big boy?

He looks around, and there's people coming and going everywhere, voices he doesn't recognize, words he thinks he should know, but can't quite understand. And then, snatches of a conversation from the room outside, that he can't quite catch, but he listens intently, half recognizing the voices, knowing that it's to do with him, somehow.

"…Bloody hell, Prongs! What are you thinking?"

"What else would I have done? He's been a good friend, Sirius, a great friend. He deserves this chance. You know that. We've done more than this before."

"You know what I think."

"It's a moot point now, isn't it? Surely you won't hold your suspicions against a child! Besides, he'd never have chosen this if he was what you thought."

"I never thought he wouldn't want out, James. But I never thought he'd choose this."

And a woman's voice, then, cutting in firmly before he can find out who they're talking about.

"The choice is made, Sirius. He's coming home with us. And you know what I'll expect of you if you're planning to maintain visiting privileges." And then her voice softens. "He's a beautiful little boy, you'll see. He's irresistible."

And then he sees them, walking towards him purposefully, but to him it's still a blur, and there's something about their faces that he should know. They stop by his bedside, the lady with red hair, holding a baby boy, and a tall, thin man with glasses and messy black hair. And there's nothing but kindness in their eyes, and he knows that these people are here to take him home; he belongs to them now.

"Hello, Remus," the man says, with a little catch in his voice. And he realizes that Remus is his name, although he had never quite forgotten it.

"Hello," he whispers back, and the baby boy turns around to look at him, and grabs Remus's finger in his pudgy little hand.

"This is Harry, Remus," it's the lady who speaks this time, "and I'm Lily, and this is my husband James."

"Am I coming to live with you?" he asks, although he already knows the answer.

"We'd like that very much," she says, and he nods, already in awe of this lovely woman, with her soft voice and kind manner.

"Did you know my mum and dad? Is that why I'm coming with you now?"

"You could say that. They were lovely people, Remus. You must always remember them."

And he nods again, even though they are so fuzzy in his mind, already half forgotten as this new family comes into clearer focus. Harry the baby smiles at him, and Remus smiles back, touching the little dimple on his cheek. And Lily sits on his bed and gathers both of them into a hug. James is smiling too, now, though he still looks a little sad, and he pats Remus on the back softly, just like he imagined his father would.

"Thank you," he whispers, and Lily just smiles, and pulls him a little closer. "You're our little boy now."

And James is still smiling, and shaking his head.

"It's the least we could do, Moony."

And Remus, smiles, though he doesn't quite understand who his new father is talking to.

**Part IV**

Prompt: almost

He's been here for nearly two months now, and this little house in Godric's Hollow feels almost like the only home he's ever known. Harry, who's learning new words every day now, can almost pronounce his name now, and loves sharing his toys with Remus. He has his own little room, with slanting roofs and a cozy window seat, just two doors down from James and Lily, and sometimes, on weekend mornings, they make a mess of eating breakfast in bed all together in the large bedroom. Remus thinks Lily's the most wonderful cook in the world, as mothers are, and James got him his own toy broomstick, and is teaching him to fly. He's not allowed to take Harry up with him, but sometimes, when he's got his feet firmly on the ground, Lily will let him pick up Harry, his little brother.

And one day he gathers his courage and asks Lily if he's allowed to call her Mum, and she gathers him up and hugs him so tightly, and says of course he can, this is his family now. He loves them all fiercely, and he's almost found the courage to ask James if he can call him Dad.

His naughty streak is returning, and he almost manages to get in trouble when he races his chocolate frogs across the white living room sofa on a hot day and gets their melting tracks all over the furniture. But James just laughs uproariously and ruffles his hair (which just won't stay messy, like James's and Harry's; he's tried, in front of the mirror, which made fun of him for having such a silly idea), and even Lily smiles, though she would have liked it better if Harry hadn't decided that this was the time to play doggy and licked the stains off the sofa.

And it's late tonight – the moon is up, hanging in the sky like a large round balloon, and he almost got sent up to bed already, but Sirius is visiting, and he's a big boy, not like Harry, and he wants to stay up and play. Sirius is great fun; he used to look at Remus funny when he was new here, but now they play together all the time, Sirius and Remus and Harry, and he loves wrestling with and petting Padfoot.

But today they're just sitting on the scourgified sofas and talking. Remus is sitting in his favorite spot in Lily's lap, almost asleep, but he can tell that they aren't happy, and he wonders what's wrong as their voices wash over him.

"…can't risk it anymore. It's time to go under the Fidelius."

"You'll do it, won't you, Sirius? I told Dumbledore that if was necessary, it would have to be you."

"Are you sure, James? Everyone will know it's me. And if there's a spy still out there…"

"At least you've dropped that ridiculous notion, Sirius. I trust you're satisfied that there are no spies in this room?"

"Well, of course not, Lily, but don't you see that only makes things trickier? Don't you see we need a decoy?"

"Why is that necessary, Padfoot? We know you won't let us down."

"How do you know, James? How do know I'm not a risk under that kind of torture?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius. Of course this is a huge risk for you. You know that Dumbledore's offered, if you'd rather not."

"It's not about me, you git. I'd do anything to protect you – all of you. But I can't help thinking I'm a bit of a security risk. We need someone invisible, someone whom no one will suspect."

"But it's you we trust, Sirius."

"You trust others. You trusted Moony; you trust Wormtail."

And Remus, who hasn't quite understood what everyone around him is saying in low, strained voices, almost recognizes those funny names, but he's too tired to ask whom they're talking about.

And Sirius speaks again, in a hushed but urgent tone.

"Just think about it, won't you, Prongs?"

And James and Lily nod, tightly, and then it's time for bed, and when James carries him upstairs, and Lily tucks him in with a goodnight kiss, and he's asleep almost immediately, utterly secure. Because in such a beautiful house, with such a wonderful family, almost nothing can go wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

Prompt:

_How can I ever apologize, I meant you no such harm  
I never knew I could possess that fatal kind of charm  
I just wanted to be good to you but I found I was disarmed  
By a lifetime of disillusionment and the distraction of the stars  
I abdicated, now I'm just a prince without a land  
My subjects all adored me but for this I had them banned  
Now could I trade my guilt for a good flogging by your hand?  
And hey I'm sorry about so much baby, but i know you'll understand  
I'm sorry about so much baby but i know you'll understand  
I can understand why you'd refuse my one request  
Just to press against my weaponry and then lay bare your chest  
Challenges like these can be won or lost or laid to rest  
Now we both agree to separate from the lonely castle steps  
The kingdom is destabilized, the watchtower unmanned  
The bedroom lies abandoned and the future is unplanned  
But we've got the past to remind us of love; chivalrous and grand  
And hey i'm sorry about so much baby but i know you'll understand  
I'm sorry about so much baby but i know you'll understand_  
- "We're Both So Sorry" by Mirah

Part V

It's the roar of the motorcycle that finally snaps him out of this nightmare. Harry is still crying, and Remus envies him a little – wishes that he could curl up around Harry and Lily and give in to the sobs that are choking up his throat. But he's the big boy here; he can't ignore the fact that Lily – Mum – is lying there unresponsive with her eyes open. She is dead, and though Remus has not brought himself to go out into the hall he knows that James must be, as well. He would never have allowed anyone to threaten his wife in this manner, and it has happened only over his dead body.

But Sirius is here now, and Remus knows that he needs help. Carefully, he helps Harry stand up, supporting him like Lily had shown him. But the house is a shambles, and Harry can't possibly walk through it like this, not when he's already hurt and crying copious pitiful tears. Remus makes a brave effort to pick up the little boy, but he can't stand like this, he knows. There is no chance that he will be able to carry his brother out of this wreckage.

"We're up here!" he finally shouts, hoping to Merlin that Sirius can hear him.

But it's not Sirius who finds them, but an enormous giant of a man, who swats away the fallen beams like so many twigs.

"Merlin! You're little Remus, aren't you?"

He nods, wondering who this stranger is, hoping that Sirius will get here soon and tell him what to do.

"I'm Hagrid. I'm to take you and Harry. Professor Dumbledore's orders."

Hagrid smiles, and takes Harry, who fits in the palm of one hand.

"Where's Sirius?"

Hagrid's face darkens. "He's downstairs, with James. Come along, you'll be able to say goodbye to him."

And before Remus can protest, he's been tucked under Hagrid's other arm as the giant navigates expertly through the rubble and takes them downstairs. They make their way through the ruins of the little magic kingdom that Remus ruled as a princeling.

Sirius is kneeling by James's body, his face a mask of penance, his eyes strangely hollow. When he sees Hagrid approach, he rises and moves closer, not allowing the boys near the corpse. Before he can say anything, Remus is hugging him, and Sirius takes him from Hagrid, holding him tight.

"Remus," he says in a broken voice, "I'm so, so sorry."

And Remus is crying openly now, finally, not understanding all the hidden meanings of the apology.

"What have I done here, Remus? How did we not know? How could you leave me like this—you were always the clever one—you should have known! You should have made me do it? How could I have let this happen?"

Hagrid is patting Sirius on the back gruffly, his supposedly gentle ministrations a flogging that brings no absolution.

"Sirius, I'm to take the boys. Dumbledore's orders."

"The boys are mine now. That's what James and Lily wanted. You know that, Hagrid. I'm Harry's godfather, and Remus, you know what he is to me."

"I'm sorry, Sirius, but you'd better talk to Dumbledore about it. I can't let them go with you now."

Sirius nods faintly. He runs a light finger down Harry's tearstained little face, and mutters a spell to staunch the bleeding from the cut on his forehead. He touches that lightning bolt scar with a solemn look, as though granting a final benediction.

"You'd better take them, then. I have my own hunting to do."

"No."

Both Sirius and Hagrid start at the little voice.

"You can't leave me and Harry. Mummy wouldn't like it; you know she wouldn't. Can't he come with us, Mr. Hagrid?"

Hagrid blinks.

"I suppose you'd better come with us, then. Reckon Dumbledore'd better have a look at you anyway."

Sirius nods in bewilderment.

"Come on, we'd better get on my motorbike then."

Hours later, they are back at Sirius's little bachelor flat, and Remus is helping Sirius change Harry's diaper yet again, and getting him ready for bed. There isn't a crib here, and Sirius isn't willing to let go of Harry just yet, in a night of close calls, so the three of them pile in together in his large bed. There'll be time enough for childproofing the flat tomorrow.

Sirius is still shaking with fury from the latest set of horrors; Petunia Dursley and her husband's uncouth rant will be planted in his memory for some time to come. He still can't believe that Dumbledore's grand plan had been to leave the boys on the doorstep with a little letter to explain the calamities of the night, and hope for the best. But though Harry was fast asleep in a little enchanted basket, Remus was wide-eyed and terrified, and they'd had to ring the doorbell out of common humanity. The Dursley's reaction was horrifying; they had raged at Lily for marrying a ne'er-do-well, getting herself blown up, and worst of all for having adopted a stray brat on top of having their own baby. They might have been coaxed into taking Harry, though Sirius could see in his mind's eye how his godson would have been neglected. But they had refused pointblank to accept Remus. Yet even after that point Dumbledore had been none too easy to persuade. Much to his chagrin, Sirius owes a considerable debt of gratitude to Minerva McGonagall, the last person in the world capable of believing him an adult, for taking his part over Dumbledore's.

In the end, though, it's Remus who does it. Remus, whom he had failed to trust. Remus, who trusts him implicitly, even after Sirius has cost him another family. Remus, without whose intervention he would already be halfway to Azkaban. Remus, who is not yet four years old, and already raising a baby better than he can. But he will learn, from Remus, and others, as he has already learnt to love, from James and Lily. At least he's got that still, their love, and their two little boys.


End file.
